


Feels like this thing we’ve got is part of ancient history

by Toomanyfandoms99



Series: (No Longer A) Secret Marriage [13]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Greek Mythology - Freeform, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Red String of Fate, Secret Marriage, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-08 15:56:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14697480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomanyfandoms99/pseuds/Toomanyfandoms99
Summary: “The reason we’re here is because, for the first time in centuries, we’re the first couple to have the Red String of Fate.”Dean’s eyebrows furrowed.Castiel explained, “it means that, in every world, in every reality, we love each other.”





	Feels like this thing we’ve got is part of ancient history

**Author's Note:**

> The title was taken from the song “U12” by Daya. Enjoy!

When Dean and Cas tore through the veil, they weren’t expecting an old man waiting for them.

Dean glanced over at Cas in confusion.

Cas walked forward, approaching the man warily. The man smiled, his demeanor surprisingly kind.

“Yue Lao,” Cas said.

The man inclined his head in greeting. “Castiel.” He paused. “Or should I call you Hades?”

Cas swallowed thickly, Dean going to his husband’s side instinctively. The man noticed the motion, an all-knowing glint in his eyes.

“It’s Castiel now,” Cas replied.

The old Dean would demand right this minute to know what was going on, but he had developed more patience over the years.

“Do you know why I’m here, Castiel?”

Dean studied his husband’s profile as he answered resolutely, “I do.”

The man examined them both from his crisscrossed position on the floor. “Are you surprised that I’ve chosen you, Castiel?”

“I am. Genuinely.”

The man nodded, as if expecting this outcome. “It seems that the stars have aligned for the first time in centuries.”

“Yes. But why so late?”

“It seems,” the man said, “that you two are a special case.”

Cas blinked. “More special?”

The man chuckled. “Yes. More special.”

Cas turned his full attention to Dean. He explained, “we’re about to go on a wild ride. Try not to freak out.”

“Ten seconds.”

Cas said urgently, “we’re about to see other worlds, and I need you to stay calm. This is a good thing. I’ll explain more later.”

Dean and Cas felt their visions go black.

————

“-stocks should raise about five percent if you proceed.”

Dean resurfaced from his underwater lap across the pool. He was only a foot away from Cas, who had dipped his feet into the water and was on a phone call.

“Yes. Yes. It should.”

Dean swam so that he could settle between Cas’s parted legs. If Cas weren’t wearing sunglasses, Dean figured he would be raising an eyebrow. Dean rested a cheek on Cas’s thigh, which were clad in blue swim trunks. 

“Yes. Okay. Goodbye.” Cas hung up the phone and sighed in exhaustion.

Dean peered up at Cas patiently.

After a moment, Cas removed his sunglasses and cast his phone aside, his piercing blue eyes causing Dean to shiver.

“Gonna come in?”

Cas pretended to think. “I’m good here.”

He was playing hard to get. Dean liked this game.

Dean lifted a hand from the water and traced a finger down Cas’s thigh. Dean stared right at him as he did it, but Cas didn’t crack yet. Dean put on his bedroom voice. “Are you sure about that, fiancé?”

Dean saw something in Cas’s eyes shift. He was going to break.

Dean kissed Cas’s opposite thigh. “I’d love it if you joined me.”

After a long moment, Cas acquiesced. Dean pushed away from Cas, watching as he removed his shirt and stepped into the pool.

Dean immediately captured him in an embrace, grinning at his victory. “Nice temperature, isn’t it?”

“Mhm.”

Dean leaned forward and kissed Cas, feeling him smile as the kiss deepened.

Cas was usually far too stressed. He needed this.

When Dean pulled away, the worry and tiredness melted from Cas’s expression.

His smile made Dean’s heart stutter. “How did I get so lucky, hm?”

Dean rested their foreheads together. “Funny, I was about to ask the same thing.”

————

Dean and Castiel found themselves in a completely white room.

“Darlin’,” Dean said, “tell me what’s going on.”

Cas moved closer to Dean, surprised at the turmoil in his husband’s green eyes. “That was Yue Lao, the god of marriages and another version of Hades.”

That made Dean even more confused. “Well, why did we just see a different version of us?”

“The reason we’re here is because, for the first time in centuries, we’re the first couple to have the Red String of Fate.”

Dean’s eyebrows furrowed. 

Castiel explained, “it means that, in every world, in every reality, we love each other.”

Cas counted to three.

Dean’s expression softened. “Really?”

“We’ve been given a gift, Dean. We get to see some of the ways we’re together in other worlds.”

“A gift. I’m not sure how I feel about being your trophy fiancé.”

Cas smiled. “Deal with it, beautiful.”

Before Dean could respond, everything went black.

————

“Go talk to him!”

Jo started to push Dean away from the coffee shop counter, but he gripped it tightly.

“No!” Dean hissed at the blonde woman.

Jo rounded on him. “You’ve been making eyes at him for weeks! It’s starting to look sad!”

Dean sighed, looking across the coffee shop he’s worked at for years and settling on the object of his affections.

The man was talking animatedly with a redhead woman, — who Dean figured out, through deductive reasoning, was only a friend — his black hair a little mussed, his blue eyes and bright smile enough to make anyone swoon.

“Oh, Dean,” Jo said, examining Dean’s lovesick expression, “this is getting sadder by the minute.”

Dean scowled at her and got back to work.

Until the man approached him when he was taking orders at the register a half hour later.

The man asked — in a voice so beautiful it should be illegal — for an extra coffee, and Dean did his best to remain calm. 

As Dean made the requested drink, he had an incredibly bold idea. Taking a sharpie, he wrote the man’s name — Cas, he learned, finally, after weeks of ordering under the redhead's name, Charlie — on his cup. Then, Dean wrote his phone number underneath Cas’s name.

Blushing profusely, Dean made the coffee and handed it out a moment later.

When Cas saw the phone number, Dean winked. Cas blushed, and Dean knew that he would definitely call.

Cas smiled sweetly and left the shop with Charlie, who had been waiting at their usual table. Dean watched Cas through the window, pink blushes staining both of their cheeks, and felt accomplished.

“Oh my God,” Jo said, appearing out of nowhere. 

Dean chuckled nervously. “Saw that, did you?”

“It’s so on, and I’m so proud,” Jo said supportively, getting back to clearing a table.

When Dean reached the end of his shift, his cell phone rang.

It was an unknown number.

Freaking out internally, Dean cleared his throat and answered. “This is Dean.”

“H-hi. It’s Cas.”

Dean grinned like an idiot, locking himself inside the supply closet. “Hi. I-I just wanted to let you know, right from the get-go, that I’ve never given my number out like this before.”

Cas laughed, and fuck, it was the most beautiful sound Dean’s ever heard. “I usually don’t call strange men who give me their number, but here we are.”

Dean chuckled. “Here we are.” A beat. “So, um, I was wondering i-if-”

“Yes.”

Dean stammered, “u-uh, y-yes?”

“Yes,” Cas answered, his conviction taking Dean aback. “I’ll go out with you.”

Dean couldn’t believe this. His heart was soaring, and he would probably look like a lunatic if he wasn’t hiding in a supply closet. “R-really?”

“Were you expecting a no?”

“Maybe…”

“Well you’re in luck, Dean.”

And wow, the way Cas said his name, the way a single syllable just rolled off his tongue, made Dean’s heart pound erratically.

Cas said, “I can meet you tomorrow night at seven.”

“We could go to the diner across the street from the shop.”

“I’ll be there.”

Dean grinned broadly. “Great.”

“See you tomorrow, Dean.”

“See you tomorrow, Cas.”

As soon as Dean hung up the phone, he jumped up and down while screeching like a teenage girl.

————

“Wait.”

Dean found himself grabbing Cas’s wrist before he could exit the car.

“I can’t let you do this.”

Cas stared at Dean confusedly, his eyes narrowing. “Why not?”

Dean kept his grip on Cas’s wrist, refusing to let go. He took a deep breath, knowing that what he was about to say would change everything.

“I can’t let you go out with some guy because,” Dean took another breath, looking into his best friend’s eyes, “I’ve been in love with you for years.”

Cas’s face changed from annoyed to soft. His eyes were a flurry of emotions, coming and going before Dean could discern them.

Cas was his best friend, the man he’d known for fifteen years, but he was still difficult to read.

Cas’s eyes were big and blue all of a sudden. Hesitantly, he asked, “can I confess something?”

Dean waited with bated breath.

“There is no guy.”

A few beats of silence, and then Dean laughed. He laughed and laughed, holding Cas’s hand, drawing comfort from its warmth. “I adore you, Castiel Novak.”

Cas gave Dean one of his rare timid grins. “I adore you too.”

————

They were just children when they met.

They were instant friends, so inseparable it drove their parents mad. Years went by, both of them remaining ridiculously attached to each other. They needed each other like they needed air.

When they were teenagers, they realized how deep their friendship went.

So deep that it just might be considered love.

Dean heard his mother whisper to his father once that he and Cas were soulmates. Dean researched the term, and the farther he dug, the more he became convinced. 

Dean and Cas were soulmates.

Cas caught Dean researching one day, Dean closing his laptop shut and stammering that it was nothing.

Only Cas went home that day and researched soulmates. He became convinced too.

Cas and Dean were soulmates.

The next day, Cas approached Dean with a purpose.

Cas said boldly, “I think we’re soulmates too.”

Dean almost dropped his book in shock. After opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, Dean managed, “h-how did you-”

“I love research. You know this.” Cas stepped ridiculously close to Dean, both of them forgetting that they were in a vacant hallway in school, and repeated, “I’m certain that we’re soulmates. You know why?”

Dean swallowed, blushing like an idiot. Cas’s eyes were suddenly too blue, too intense, too mesmerizing.

Dean looked into those eyes, and realized he was lost.

He didn’t want to be found ever again.

Cas took Dean’s hand, their fingers slotting together perfectly.

Like they were made for each other.

Cas whispered, “because I can barely breathe when you’re not in the room.”

“I can’t either,” Dean said automatically, squeezing Cas’s hand. “Cas, I can’t pinpoint the moment I fell in love with you. I just know that I can’t remember a time when I didn’t.”

Tears sprang up in Cas’s eyes, his smile wobbly. “I feel the same way.”

Their spell was broken by the first bell of the day ringing.

Dean said softly, “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Cas blinked away any rising tears. “I love you.”

Dean smiled. “I love you too.”

————

Dean and Castiel returned to the white room, which started to shake for a moment.

“Our bodies are being moved,” Cas said. At Dean’s instant alarm, he added soothingly, “it’s fine. I promise.”

Dean sat on the immaculate white ground, Cas moving closer to him.

Dean met Castiel’s eyes and said, “I liked that last one.” He took his husband’s hand, stroking Cas’s knuckles with his thumb. “I’m almost jealous of that us. The way they knew each other,” Dean swiped his thumb over Cas’s wedding ring, “like the back of their own hands, how they met when they were toddlers.”

“It’s still us,” Castiel said softly.

“We wasted so much time, darlin’.”

Cas used his unoccupied hand to cup Dean’s cheek. As always, the motion made Dean look at him. “We’re not wasting much more of it, now are we?”

Dean paused. “Do you ever get tired of being right all the time?”

Castiel shook his head. The room quaked again.

“Here we go,” Cas said, just as they were pulled into the darkness.

————

When Gabriel got an unconscious Dean and Cas back to the bunker, he faced an inquisition.

“I just found them like this!” Gabriel exclaimed.

“Don’t crowd him.” The speaker pushed through the crowd that had formed.

Gabriel fought back the butterflies in his stomach upon seeing Sam. “Thank you.” The archangel proceeded to use every spell he knew to discern what was wrong. His audience didn’t move a muscle, Gabriel forcing himself not to look up at Sam.

Stupid feelings.

Gabriel made a breakthrough a little while later.

As he finished a spell, a red string appeared, each end tied to a pinky finger on Dean and Cas’s hands.

“Holy shit,” Gabriel said, awestruck.

Sam knelt down across from him, Dean and Cas’s unconscious forms providing a barrier. Gabriel caught a hint of Sam’s aftershave permeating the air. “What is it? Something bad?”

“Not bad,” Gabriel assured him, “but definitely interesting.” Gabriel glanced down at the red string that was invisible to humans, not believing that this was actually real. He stood up. “I need to bring a friend. She’ll know how to help.”

Everyone eyed him distrustfully.

Except for Sam.

The hunter asked, “is she going to bring any danger to us?”

Gabriel shook his head forcefully. “Cassie trusts her.”

That seemed to clear the air of tension.

“In that case.” Sam left the sentence unfinished.

“Jack,” Gabriel said, the nephilim breaking through the crowd. “Watch them for any changes, okay?” Jack nodded in assent, Gabriel teleporting away.

————

The whole prom thing was ridiculous, in Dean’s opinion.

But Cas wanted to go, and Dean couldn’t deny his boyfriend anything.

When it got to a slow song, Dean dragged Cas away from the dance floor, much to his protest. 

Once they reached an empty corridor, the music still playing loudly from the open doors, Dean offered his hand. “May I have this dance?”

Cas’s smile had Dean’s stomach doing somersaults. He took Dean’s hand. “You may,” Cas said bashfully.

Dean lead them in the dance, Cas resting his chin on Dean’s shoulder, both of them swaying to the music.

After a moment, Cas said, “you’re amazing, you know.”

Dean said nonchalantly, “I’m just being a protective boyfriend.”

They were in the south, after all. Homophobes were everywhere. They had to be careful. They had to be secretive. Dean was the happiest he’d ever been, and he couldn’t shout it from the rooftops. He wanted to so badly, but only Sam and Gabriel knew about them. Their respective brothers were the only ones who accepted them and knew how perfect they were for each other.

When they graduated in a few weeks, Dean and Cas had plans to run away.

Well, not run away, exactly. Start a new life where they could love one another a little more openly, where they didn’t have to constantly remain vigilant when one wanted to hold the other’s hand.

The slow song ended, Dean and Cas reluctantly breaking from their embrace.

Dean held Cas’s gaze a little longer, whispering, “you look beautiful tonight.”

Cas blushed. “You’ve said that five times already.”

Dean smiled. “That doesn’t make it any less true.”

————

Dean and Cas pulled off their masks, driving a getaway van with duffel bags of cash. Dean was laughing, enjoying the thrill of it, careening the car through empty alleyways. The lack of police sirens made Cas giddy. He sat in the back of the van, examining the cash.

It was the most they’ve ever stolen.

Cas moved towards the driver's seat, planting a searing kiss on Dean’s lips. Dean growled, biting on Cas’s bottom lip, one hand on the wheel and the other on Cas’s chin.

When Cas extricated himself from Dean’s grip, he said huskily, “we’re rich, baby.”

Dean chuckled, leading the car through winding streets. “How rich?”

Cas glanced back at the money. “So fucking rich.”

Dean pulled Cas into another kiss. “It’s all ours, gorgeous.”

“Mhm.” Cas tilted his head lower and kissed along Dean’s neck, Dean moaning in pleasure as he drove. When Cas stopped his assault, he whispered, “we’re free. We have no more debts to pay, no more jobs to do.”

“I almost feel like we’re in a dream.”

Cas kissed Dean’s cheek. “We aren’t. We’re free as birds.”

Dean smiled sweetly at Cas. “Where do you wanna go, baby? Pick any place you want in the whole world.”

The answer was instant for Cas. “The Bahamas.”

————

Dean never failed to be intimidated by the guards posted in front of Cas’s motel room.

But that was the price of their line of work. They needed protection.

Dean knocked on the door the usual three times, the guard letting him in and shutting the door behind him.

Cas was on the bed, only wearing a pair of sweatpants, his many tattoos apparent along his arms and torso. Dean wasn’t one to talk about tattoos, though — he had a lot of matching sets to the tattoos inked on Cas’s skin. Cas met his eyes instantly, his hardened exterior softening.

“Hey baby,” Dean greeted.

“I was almost worried.”

“I’m fine.”

“Show me, then.”

Dean removed his shirt, the piles of money strapped to his stomach now visible.

Cas slipped out of their bed and knelt down to examine the money. He lifted each stack one-by-one from Dean’s stomach — brushing his fingers purposefully along his skin as he did so — and counted them.

After a long few moments — Dean unencumbered by the extra weight — Cas gave him a pleased look. “I’m impressed, babe.” Cas stood up and hid the money underneath the mattress.

“How long do we have?” 

Holding back a smirk, Cas turned towards him and replied, “an hour.”

“Well, husband,” Dean said huskily, “there’s a lot we can get up to in an hour.”

And just like that, Cas’s lips were on Dean’s. Cas pulled Dean towards the bed, both of them falling onto the mattress as they kissed with a startling softness.

They only had forty minutes before there was a loud knock on the door. Dean reluctantly pulled away from Cas’s embrace, picking up his shirt and slipping it on. Cas slid out of bed and pulled on a black tee.

Before Cas could go open the door, Dean gave him one final kiss.

————

The bunker was beyond intrigued by Aphrodite.

“Please, call me Aphra,” she said politely.

Everyone asked her questions, Gabriel giving her apologetic looks. Aphrodite answered the questions succinctly and asked to see Cas and Dean.

She gasped at the invisible Red String of Fate.

Aphrodite smiled at Cas and Dean’s ward. “Hello Jack.”

The nephilim said hello. “You’re the first goddess I’ve met.”

“Am I now?” Aphrodite knelt beside an unconscious Cas and Dean.

“Your aura is very...pink.”

Aphrodite giggled. “What color does that make H?”

“Black. Or blue. He’s blue now.”

Aphrodite looked at Cas. “That he is. Hm.” Remembering that she had an audience, Aphrodite recited a few spells. After a few minutes of silence, Aphrodite declared, “Yue Lao himself did this.”

“No way,” Gabriel said, kneeling next to the goddess.

“Where have I heard that name?” Sam asked.

“He’s the god of marriage.”

“Ah.”

“It looks like they’re going to wake up in,” Aphrodite paused, “three hours.”

“You can’t force them awake?” Gabriel inquired.

“I cannot. This magic is above my pay grade.”

“Even above yours?”

“It seems that way.”

“So they’ll wake up on their own in three hours?”

“Yes,” the goddess answered. “I’m afraid we just have to wait.”

————

Castiel was surprised that he got a request from the private room.

“Someone liked you,” his boss said. “Now don’t make a fool of me.”

Cas slinked off stage and went to the back of the strip club. He found a full-length mirror and surveyed his outfit.

Would black leather pants and a see-through white tee be enough?

It would have to be.

Sighing, Castiel went to the private room and braced himself. He opened the door, and stopped in his tracks at the sight of Dean.

He met Dean at a grocery store, of all places. They had an instant chemistry, and they’ve been on a few dates. Dean was ridiculously sweet, not at all what Cas expected from a rugged construction worker.

Dean didn’t know he was a stripper.

Until now.

Cas shut the door and stared at the floor. Dean’s eyes were boring into him. He couldn’t bring himself to look at his new boyfriend.

Well, when this was over, Castiel wouldn’t have a boyfriend anymore.

Cas asked weakly, “does this mean we’re over?”

“Do you want it to be over?”

Cas felt his eyes watering. He shook his head.

He heard Dean stand up, his boots moving closer, stopping a respectable distance away.

“Hey,” Dean said softly, “look at me, sweetheart.”

Castiel looked up, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“I don’t care. Okay?” Dean sounded so genuine that Cas immediately wanted to distrust him. Seeming to sense this, Dean said, “I’ll say it until you believe it. I don’t care. I. Don’t. Care.”

How Dean could keep his gaze on Cas’s face puzzled him greatly. He knew that his outfit was provocative, that his leather pants clung to his ass tightly, that Dean could see his torso through his shirt.

And yet, Dean looked right into Cas’s eyes, not even glancing for a split second below his neck.

It was so refreshing that Castiel wanted to cry.

Dean noticed a change in Cas’s eyes, smiling softly. “We’re okay, you and I. This doesn’t change anything.”

Overwhelmed with love — Cas knew it could only be love — at Dean’s words, Cas said, “I’m pretty sure you’re an angel, Dean Winchester.”

Dean blushed. “An angel who’s crazy about you.”

Castiel could hardly believe it. The kindest and sweetest man he’d ever known was crazy about him. Him!

Cas smiled. “I’m crazy about you too. And I just want you to know that none of this-”

“Means anything,” Dean finished. “I understand that.”

Cas took Dean’s hand. “You really are an angel.”

————

Dean and Cas were jolted awake by a knock on the door. They shared a look, the afterglow of their lovemaking fading away.

“They’re coming,” Dean rumbled.

“Are you ready?”

Dean leaned forward and kissed Cas. “I am now.”

They slipped on their discarded clothes and shoved guns down their jeans. They turned back around, giving each other one final glance.

“Let’s go to work,” Dean said.

Cas pulled out his pistol, leading them out of the hotel room.

————

Deanna first met Cassie in a library.

She nearly had a heart attack upon seeing a beautiful woman with wavy black hair and piercing blue eyes reading a book from one of the shelves. Her body was curvy, her blue blouse tucked into a tight black skirt.

Deanna, to put it lightly, was shook.

Putting on a brave face, she tied her blonde hair into a loose ponytail, pretending to peruse through the shelf while swaying her hips. Deanna trailed a manicured finger along the spine of a book, nervously humming a Led Zeppelin song. She removed a book from the shelf, catching the beautiful woman glance at her. Deanna kept her cool, continuing to hum and flip to the first page of the book.

“I like that song.”

Deanna bit the inside of her cheek and closed the book. 

Holy shit.

The woman talked to her.

Deanna directed her attention to the woman, surprised at how beautiful she was up close. “You’ve got nice taste in music, then.”

The woman held out her hand. “Cassie.”

Deanna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took the woman’s hand, feeling a spark shoot through her veins. “Deanna.”

————

Dean and Castiel returned to the white room, which started to quake again.

“Aphra!”

Dean’s eyebrows furrowed. “Aphrodite?”

“She’s trying to use her magic to wake us up.”

“Will it work?”

“No, we’ll wake up on our own. Just a few more left, I think.”

Dean nodded in understanding, and the room went black.

————

“You know how this ends, don’t you?”

Dean looked at Cas sitting across from him at the table. “I do.”

Cas studied Dean like he was a mythological creature. “You’re not afraid?”

Dean smirked. “I’m in love with a mob boss. I stopped being afraid months ago.”

Cas stared at him in disbelief, like he expected Dean to run for the hills.

But Dean was stupidly in love. He would never run.

Cas swallowed thickly. “They’ll be coming for me. Sooner rather than later. I have days, if I’m lucky.”

Dean stood up from his chair, unbuttoning his shirt slowly, not breaking eye contact with Cas. Once his shirt was removed, Dean said, “then I’ll spend those days worshipping you. And I’ll take the bullet with you.” Dean rounded the table, offering his hand to a speechless Cas. “Now come make love to me.”

Cas’s heart pounded as he took Dean’s offered hand. Cas stood up, Dean leading him to the bedroom.

The next day, when masked men broke into Cas’s stronghold, Dean and Cas were waiting for them.

Staring at each other with an unflinching resolve, two gunshots rang in the air, their blood mingling together as they took their final breaths.

————

Dean was a bit of a player.

And oh, did he love the game.

Dean thought it was hilarious to toy with feelings and make out with women just for the fun of it. It all meant nothing, anyway. Dean only cared about his parents, his little brother, and his best friend.

He could always count on Cas. 

They had known each other since they were children. Whenever Dean brought up one of his antics, Cas always waved it off or rolled his eyes at his “typical Dean behavior.”

But one night, they were at a senior year party that their high school’s richest jock threw, and Dean was shocked at what he saw.

Cas was making out with a guy in the corner.

And sure, Dean knew Cas was gay, but here’s the thing.

The second he saw some strange guy shove his tongue down his best friend’s throat, he realized that Cas may not just be his best friend.

And he may not be as straight as he planned.

Before Dean could even comprehend it, he was across the room and had pushed the guy off of Cas.

“What is the matter with you?!”

Dean grabbed Cas’s arm and dragged him away.

“What the hell?! Dean!”

When they were alone, Dean shut the door to whatever room they were inside.

Cas was livid. “What was that for?!”

Looking at his best friend, his eyes consumed by blue fire, Dean had an epiphany.

He was in love with his best friend.

And Dean should be terrified right now. This realization should scare the shit out of him, but it didn’t. Somehow, it didn’t.

Dean felt invincible.

“Earth to Dean! Mind answering me?!”

Dean brought himself back to the present. Cas was angry with him. Right.

Dean steeled himself and took a breath. “Cas, I can’t have you making out with some guy at a party you don’t even know bec-”

“Why not?! You do that!”

Dean felt his resolve crumbling, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his jaw. He wouldn’t cry. He deserved that one. Cas seemed to think so too, but when Dean opened his eyes, he looked apologetic.

Dean swallowed and steeled himself again. “You didn’t let me finish. I can’t have you making out with some guy because,” Dean met Cas’s gaze, “I want to be that guy.”

Cas’s breath hitched. He took one step back in disbelief. Dean watched carefully as Cas’s eyes shifted from shock to confusion to acceptance to something fragile, something soft, something that Dean couldn’t name.

Dean, for the first time ever, spoke from his heart. “I’m tired of playing games. I feel like a complete piece of shit. I don’t deserve someone like you. But Cas, you’re the only one that’s always there for me that isn’t obligated to be. You mean everything to me. It took me too long to realize that, and I’m sorry for being an idiotic asshole for so long. I saw you with that guy, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I snapped. I was jealous. I want you to kiss me like that. And, again, I know I don’t deserve that, but-”

Suddenly, Cas’s lips were on his, and Dean’s brain short circuited. Dean kissed back softly, flabbergasted at how incredible it felt. This was easily the best kiss he’s ever had.

Far too soon, Cas pulled away, his cheeks pink and his eyes impossibly blue, and wow, Dean had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life.

Cas smiled and said breathily, “you had me at ‘you mean everything to me.’”

————

“Sweetheart, come on!”

Cas and Dean heard little footsteps come down the stairs, appearing in the kitchen.

Their daughter was a miracle. She was the perfect product of both of them. It was rare for their genes to be split right down the middle, especially where a gay married couple living in suburbia was involved.

She had blonde hair like Dean’s, and blue eyes like Cas’s. She smiled like Dean, and laughed like Cas. She walked like Dean, and spoke like Cas.

“Are you ready?” Cas asked her.

“I just need my lunch.”

Cas handed her the brown bag. “Here you go.”

“Do you have yours?”

Dean grinned and handed Cas his lunch. “There you go, honey.”

Cas snorted, smoothing out Dean’s mechanic jumpsuit. Taking advantage of the proximity, Dean pecked a quick kiss on Cas’s lips. 

“Ew!”

Cas and Dean chuckled, Cas leaving the kitchen. Their daughter took Cas’s hand eagerly, her backpack swinging as she walked.

“Have fun at school, you two!”

————

Castiel met Dean in a barn.

The lightbulbs exploded, sparks flew in the air, and he was faced with Dean. His wings cast a looming shadow on the barn wall, and Castiel didn’t know what to think.

As they began to understand each other, Castiel became intrigued with this angel that saved him from the depths of Hell.

The years went by, and Castiel found himself thinking more and more about Dean, and how their relationship was like a game of tug of war, pulling back and forth, one of them always suffering while the other triumphed.

It took Purgatory for Castiel to get his priorities in order. He hunted and killed every monster he came across, creating a trail of blood and pain wherever he went. 

It took this for Castiel to realize that he loves Dean, and probably had for a long time.

When Castiel kissed Dean, it started yet another rollercoaster of love and pain, a rollercoaster that Castiel never wanted to get off of. He would take Dean when he could have him, when the world didn’t need saving, when they didn’t piss each other off or run away from each other.

When Dean became human, Castiel put his and Gabriel’s life on the line. Instead of going with a more risky decision, Dean and Castiel found a way to save Gabriel.

And Castiel taught Dean how to be a functional human being.

He learned a lot about Dean in the process, this previously-celestial being that he loves completely.

He learned that Dean liked to sleep on his left side. He learned that Dean snored endearingly. He learned that Dean fell asleep quicker if Castiel was with him, or if they made love. He learned that Dean liked to take walks in the woods around the bunker. He learned that Dean liked it when Castiel joined him, holding his hand as they walked. He learned that Dean loved to read anything he could get his hands on. He learned that Dean was obsessed with desserts, especially pies. He learned that Dean was a good cook, and an amazing singer, and beautiful inside and out.

Castiel proposed to Dean after Gabriel was saved. Dean said yes, and they married with Gabriel as the witness.

It didn’t take long for all hell to break loose, Dean and Castiel forced apart once again.

But they always came back to each other.

Always.

————

Dean and Castiel woke up in the white room for a final time.

“It’s over,” Cas said. “We’ll wake up any minute.”

Dean scooted closer, resting his head on Cas’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. He muttered, “this has been...interesting.”

Cas kissed the crown of Dean’s head. “It has.”

“We have to comprehend this.”

“Okay.”

“I need to sleep first, though.”

Castiel chuckled. “Me too.”

Everything went black one final time.

————

They woke up in one of the bunker’s rooms, no one else around.

“Guess someone brought us here,” Dean said.

Cas found a clock. “It’s midnight. Everyone’s sleeping.”

“Or trying to.” Dean surveyed the area. “Guess the coast is clear.” Dean acted on an impulse and kissed Cas eagerly. “Let’s go to sleep, hm?”

Cas nodded, letting Dean lead him by the hand to their bedroom.

————

“They woke up,” Sam said to the inhabitants of the bunker kitchen, bursting at the seams with people having breakfast.

“Chill,” Charlie said, “they’re sleeping.”

Sam studied Charlie with narrowed eyes. “How do you know?”

Charlie blushed in embarrassment. “Well, their door was open and-”

“They’re asleep all cute,” Claire said unashamedly.

Sam paused. “I’m surprised it took you this long to creep in on them. I’m almost proud.”

Claire grinned. “Thanks Sam.”

Sam just sighed and poured himself a glass of orange juice.

Gabriel and Aphrodite chose this moment to appear in the kitchen.

Was it just Sam, or did Gabriel look especially good today?

He cleared his throat as a distraction.

Aphrodite asked, “how are they?”

“They woke up during the night. They’re asleep now,” Charlie answered.

“Their mental capacities are probably overloaded. Makes sense,” Gabriel said.

“Want breakfast?” Sam offered.

Gabriel glanced at Aphrodite, who shrugged.

“Sure,” Gabriel said.

————

Dean and Castiel woke up at the exact same second, feeling refreshed.

Dean prompted, “so.”

Castiel turned on his side, facing Dean. “So.”

“What was your favorite?”

Cas thought. “Let’s see...I liked the one where we were drug dealers and had all those tattoos.”

“I’m pretty sure I saw one of your tattoos say ‘Property of Dean.’

Castiel laughed. “I wouldn’t put that past me.”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “You would get tattoos?”

“Probably.”

Dean was intrigued. “What of?”

“If I were human, I’d get one of angel wings, one of your name, and anti-possession tattoos.”

“You've really thought it through, huh?”

Cas shrugged.

“What other worlds did you like?”

“The one where we were soulmates was nice. And the one where we had a daughter. But, strangely enough, I liked the one where I was a stripper.”

“That was a nice outfit,” the hunter said teasingly. 

“Don’t get any ideas.”

“Too late.”

Cas rolled his eyes. “Now I’m afraid to ask what worlds you liked.”

“Well, I liked the prom one, the mob one, the coffee shop one, the one where we were women-”

“Of course you’d like that.”

“No interrupting.”

Castiel grew quiet, his eyes playful.

Dean continued, “I also liked the one where we had a daughter, of course. But that last one was interesting. It’s more proof that I fucked up when you were human, but-”

“I forgave you for that.”

Dean’s eyes were tumultuous. “And I’m grateful every day that you did.”

Castiel kissed away Dean’s worries, placing pecks on his lips, his nose, his cheeks, his eyelids, and his forehead. Dean’s expression slowly softened, the guilt vanishing from his features. 

After a final kiss on the lips, Dean said, “I adore you.”

“I think you more than just adore me.”

Dean kissed Cas again. “I love you, darlin’.”

“I love you too.”

————

Dean entered the bunker kitchen as breakfast was drawing to a close. Everyone directed their attention to him immediately.

Aware that he was being watched, Dean raised an eyebrow innocently. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Dean noticed Aphrodite at the table.

“Aphra,” Dean greeted, opening the refrigerator.

“Dean.”

After a few sputters, everyone let their questions die in their throats.

————

“Hey Aphra.”

Aphrodite hugged Cas. “How do you feel, H?”

“Normal.” Cas paused. “I’m surprised you’re here.”

“Well, Gabriel found me, and I wouldn’t pass on helping a friend.” Aphrodite sat in the armchair across from Castiel. “So how goes it?”

“It’s going good, surprisingly.”

Aphrodite grinned. “How’s that gorgeous man of yours?”

Cas choked on his own spit. “F-fine.”

Aphrodite laughed melodically. “You two are just the cutest.”

“So I’ve heard.”

————

An hour later, Dean found Cas and Aphrodite chatting and laughing in the library.

With pink drinks in their hands, little umbrellas included.

Dean approached them and lifted the glass from Cas’s hand.

“Excuse me-”

Dean took a sip of the drink, enjoying the fruity taste. “‘S good.” Dean returned the drink to Cas, Aphrodite giggling as he sat next to his husband.

They spent the next hour talking, Aphrodite sneaking little glances at the couple and smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> The next work will be a two-parter. Look for part 1 in the next few days. Kudos and comments are appreciated!


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